For this 'blast beat' taking the existing 'reverse subdivided eighth note' and speeding the hands up to sixteenth note triplets. Note only can this create an uncomfortable movement when double kick is used but it will be extrememly fast even at slightly lower tempos. As mentioned in the initial lesson, the point of a blast beat is to be incredibly noisey and aggressive and this form of blast does that by creating a very fast 'wall of noise' style sound where the stronger beats of the bar are more pronounced.

At the bottom of the page you will find a collection of links you may find helpful including a link to the original lesson.


Example 1

In this slowed down version you will be playing kick and snare part as eighth note triplets to get you used to how the part will fall inline with the count of the bar. You would expect to see hi hats played with the snares and doing that gives you a quarter note triplet on the right hand.

The subdivided eighth note blast beat as triplets

Use this exercise to get comfortable with the pattern this groove uses. Aim for a tempo between 180bpm and 200bpm before progressing.


Example 2

You will then double the note values to create a version of the final groove. Be prepared to spend a lot of time building up the temp of this groove and remember that the accuracy of your timing is incredibly important. While the intention is for this groove to be the 'wall of noise', it should also be very controlled.

The subdivided eighth note blast beat as sextuplets

Aim for a tempo between 160bpm and 170bpm before progressing.


Example 3

What you may have noticed with the previous exercise is that keeping the groove going for an extended period of time is very draining. One thing that can help with this is to use a double kick pattern for the feet. This example will sound exactly the same as example 2 only two feet are used. Notice that on counts 2 and 4, the feet are the reverse of counts 1 and 3.

The subdivided triplet blast beat with double kick


Example 4

A common variation on this groove is to shift the right hand to fall with the bass drum. This gives the hand an unusual rhythm within the triplest which can make for an interesting variation.

The subdivided triplet blast beat with double kick


Example 5

Here is the same pattern again but with double kick used.

The subdivided triplet blast beat with double kick


TASK

  • Apply a blast to a structured pattern either as the groove or fill.
  • Experiment with the orchestration of the grooves.

Lessons

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